Some existing applicators for viscous semi-liquid cosmetic products, such as mascara, have an elongate material-retaining portion having surface formations, for example radially projecting bristles, to hold the cosmetic product to be applied. Although this material-retaining and applying portion is generally designed for ease of application of the product, its shape and dimensions are fixed, thus restricting the versatility of the applicator for the application of the product in different circumstances. For example, while a relatively large stiff brush is best suited for applying mascara to the main upper eyelashes, a small delicate brush is best suited for the lower eyelashes. A conventional mascara applicator therefore has to be designed to have fixed shape and dimensions representing a compromise between these ideals, and the result is a construction which does not provide an ideal application action in either case.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,235 describes an applicator in which a material retaining portion having a plurality of axially spaced coating surfaces, e.g. a helical spring, can be compressed to change the axial spacing between these surface and thereby the material retaining capacity of the applicator. However, this arrangement requires a compressible form of retaining portion and only a limited degree of size variation of this portion is possible.
Other known applicators have flexible bristles extending from the end of an elongate shaft. For certain specific purposes, e.g. the application of eyeliner material to the eyelids, these bristles need to be very fine, and difficulties arise where such an applicator is supplied as part of an assembly comprising also a container for the material to be applied, the container accomodating in its neck a wiper member defining a wiper orifice for wiping the shaft clean on withdrawal from the container. The problem here, particularly where the bristles extend axially to form a fine end brush, is that unless extreme care is taken to align the bristles exactly with the orifice on reinsertion of the applicator into the container through the wiper these fine bristles tend to be pushed at some point against a surface of the wiper and thereby become misshapen. After repeated use, the brush tends to become permanently distorted and incapable of performing its intended purpose.